You are here: / Negligence
, , ,

ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLIGENCE IN A LEGAL MALPRACTICE CONTEXT DO NOT SUPPORT A CAUSE OF ACTION ALLEGING A JUDICIARY LAW 487 VIOLATION, INTENT TO DECEIVE MUST BE ALLEGED WITH PARTICULARITY, JUDICIARY LAW CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the causes of action alleging legal malpractice, breach of contract, and fraud were properly dismissed. The court further found that the cause of action alleging a violation of Judiciary Law 487 should have been dismissed as well, noting that allegations of negligence do not meet the “intent to deceive” element of a Judiciary Law action:

Contrary to the defendants' contention, the cause of action alleging a violation of Judiciary Law § 487 was not duplicative of the cause of action alleging legal malpractice. “A violation of Judiciary Law § 487 requires an intent to deceive, whereas a legal malpractice claim is based on negligent conduct” … .

Nevertheless, the Supreme Court should have granted that branch of the defendants' motion which was for summary judgment dismissing the cause of action alleging a violation of Judiciary Law § 487. A chronic extreme pattern of legal delinquency is not a basis for liability pursuant to Judiciary Law § 487 … . Further, the plaintiffs failed to allege sufficient facts demonstrating that the defendant attorneys had the “intent to deceive the court or any party” … . Allegations regarding an act of deceit or intent to deceive must be stated with particularity (see CPLR 3016[b]… ). That the defendants commenced the underlying action on behalf of the plaintiffs and the plaintiffs failed to prevail in that action does not provide a basis for a cause of action alleging a violation of Judiciary Law § 487 to recover the legal fees incurred. Bill Birds, Inc. v Stein Law Firm, P.C., 2018 NY Slip Op 05743, Second Dept 8-15-18

ATTORNEYS (ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLIGENCE IN A LEGAL MALPRACTICE ACTION DO NOT SUPPORT A CAUSE OF ACTION ALLEGING A JUDICIARY LAW 487 VIOLATION, INTENT TO DECEIVE MUST BE ALLEGED WITH PARTICULARITY, JUDICIARY LAW CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/LEGAL MALPRACTICE  (ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLIGENCE IN A LEGAL MALPRACTICE ACTION DO NOT SUPPORT A CAUSE OF ACTION ALLEGING A JUDICIARY LAW 487 VIOLATION, INTENT TO DECEIVE MUST BE ALLEGED WITH PARTICULARITY, JUDICIARY LAW CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/NEGLIGENCE (LEGAL MALPRACTICE, ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLIGENCE IN A LEGAL MALPRACTICE ACTION DO NOT SUPPORT A CAUSE OF ACTION ALLEGING A JUDICIARY LAW 487 VIOLATION, INTENT TO DECEIVE MUST BE ALLEGED WITH PARTICULARITY, JUDICIARY LAW CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/CIVIL PROCEDURE (JUDICIARY LAW 487, ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLIGENCE IN A LEGAL MALPRACTICE ACTION DO NOT SUPPORT A CAUSE OF ACTION ALLEGING A JUDICIARY LAW 487 VIOLATION, INTENT TO DECEIVE MUST BE ALLEGED WITH PARTICULARITY, JUDICIARY LAW CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/CPLR 3016 (JUDICIARY LAW 487, ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLIGENCE IN A LEGAL MALPRACTICE ACTION DO NOT SUPPORT A CAUSE OF ACTION ALLEGING A JUDICIARY LAW 487 VIOLATION, INTENT TO DECEIVE MUST BE ALLEGED WITH PARTICULARITY, JUDICIARY LAW CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))/JUDICIARY LAW 487 (ATTORNEYS, CIVIL PROCEDURE, ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLIGENCE IN A LEGAL MALPRACTICE ACTION DO NOT SUPPORT A CAUSE OF ACTION ALLEGING A JUDICIARY LAW 487 VIOLATION, INTENT TO DECEIVE MUST BE ALLEGED WITH PARTICULARITY, JUDICIARY LAW CAUSE OF ACTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED (SECOND DEPT))

,

LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THIS STUDENT BULLYING AND HARASSMENT ACTION WAS PROPERLY GRANTED, CRITERIA EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the petition for leave to file a late notice of claim in this student bullying and harassment case was properly granted. The plaintiff alleged the school was negligent in failing to prevent or stop the bullying:

… [T]he infant petitioner submitted evidence showing that she made persistent complaints over a period of years to district employees that she had been verbally and physically harassed by a certain group of fellow students, and that the abuse continued despite the school district's intermittent corrective actions. Contrary to the school district's contentions, the infant petitioner demonstrated that the district had actual notice of more than just the discrete incidents to which it responded; it had notice of the alleged pattern of abuse. Under the circumstances presented here, the infant petitioner sufficiently demonstrated that the district had actual notice of the essential facts constituting the claim within 90 days of accrual or within a reasonable time thereafter … , and that the district was not substantially prejudiced by the delay in serving the notice of claim … . …

The school district's contention that it would be prejudiced by the delay because two of the petitioner's three prior guidance counselors no longer work at the school was not sufficient to meet its burden of making a “particularized showing” of prejudice in maintaining a defense on the merits… .. Given the petitioner's infancy, the school district's actual notice, and the absence of prejudice, the lack of a reasonable excuse will not bar the granting of leave to serve a late notice of claim … . Matter of C.B. v Carmel Cent. Sch. Dist., 2018 NY Slip Op 05761, Second Dept 8-15-18

EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW (LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THIS STUDENT BULLYING AND HARASSMENT ACTION WAS PROPERLY GRANTED, CRITERIA EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT))/NEGLIGENCE (EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW, LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THIS STUDENT BULLYING AND HARASSMENT ACTION WAS PROPERLY GRANTED, CRITERIA EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT))/NOTICE OF CLAIM (EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW, LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THIS STUDENT BULLYING AND HARASSMENT ACTION WAS PROPERLY GRANTED, CRITERIA EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT))/BULLYING (EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW, NEGLIGENCE, LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THIS STUDENT BULLYING AND HARASSMENT ACTION WAS PROPERLY GRANTED, CRITERIA EXPLAINED (SECOND DEPT))

,

SCHOOL DISTRICT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS STUDENT ON STUDENT ASSAULT CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE STUDENT’S ACTIONS WERE IMPULSIVE AND COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANTICIPATED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined that the school district's motion for summary judgment in this student on student assault case should have been granted. The student's pushing plaintiff's daughter was an impulsive act which could not have been anticipated or prevented by supervision:

… [T]he District established its prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law dismissing the cause of action alleging negligent supervision of the plaintiff's daughter by submitting evidence demonstrating that it did not have actual or constructive notice of the dangerous conduct that caused the injury, and that the other student's act of running up behind the daughter and pushing her as she was walking down the hallway at dismissal time was impulsive and could not have been anticipated … . In opposition, the plaintiff failed to raise a triable issue of fact.

The District also established its prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law dismissing the cause of action alleging negligent hiring, training, and supervision of its employees … . Ramirez v Brentwood Union Free Sch. Dist., 2018 NY Slip Op 05788, Second Dept 8-15-18

NEGLIGENCE (EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW, SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS STUDENT ON STUDENT ASSAULT CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE STUDENT'S ACTIONS WERE IMPULSIVE AND COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANTICIPATED (SECOND DEPT))/NEGLIGENT SUPERVISION (EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW, SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS STUDENT ON STUDENT ASSAULT CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE STUDENT'S ACTIONS WERE IMPULSIVE AND COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANTICIPATED (SECOND DEPT))/EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW (STUDENT ON STUDENT ASSAULT,  SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS STUDENT ON STUDENT ASSAULT CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE STUDENT'S ACTIONS WERE IMPULSIVE AND COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANTICIPATED (SECOND DEPT))/ASSAULT, LIABILITY IN NEGLIGENCE FOR (EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW,  SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS STUDENT ON STUDENT ASSAULT CASE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED, THE STUDENT'S ACTIONS WERE IMPULSIVE AND COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANTICIPATED (SECOND DEPT))

,

SNOW-REMOVAL EFFORTS NOT PARTICULARIZED, SCHOOL DISTRICT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the defendant school district's motion for summary judgment in this slip and fall case was properly denied. The evidence demonstrated 19 inches of snow had fallen in the days preceding the slip and fall and the school district did not demonstrate the nature of the snow and ice removal efforts it made. The Second Department noted Supreme Court should not have considered the inadequate-lighting allegation because it was not in the notice of claim or the amended bill of particulars:

In support of its motion, the district submitted a certified weather report, which demonstrated that there was a snowstorm on February 13, 2014, resulting in a snow/ice accumulation of 11.8 inches, a snowstorm on February 14, 2014, with an additional snow/ice accumulation of 9.2 inches, and another inch of snow falling on February 15, 2014, followed by trace amounts on February 16, 2014, culminating in a snow/ice cover totaling 19 inches on the date of the accident. Moreover, the [*2]affidavits of the district's director of facilities and operations and middle school principal failed to provide any information about the district's snow and ice removal practices, or what was done to remove snow and ice from the premises prior to the accident, except to state generally that a facilities and operations staff member finished “all maintenance efforts” at the middle school by 2:59 p.m. on the date of the accident … .  Pickles v Hyde Park Cent. Sch. Dist., 2018 NY Slip Op 05787, Second Dept 8-15-18

NEGLIGENCE (SLIP AND FALL, SNOW-REMOVAL EFFORTS NOT PARTICULARIZED, SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/SLIP AND FALL (SNOW-REMOVAL EFFORTS NOT PARTICULARIZED, SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW (SLIP AND FALL, SNOW-REMOVAL EFFORTS NOT PARTICULARIZED, SCHOOL DISTRICT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))

,

DEFENDANT DEMONSTRATED THE ABSENCE OF ACTUAL OR CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE OF THE ALLEGEDLY SLIPPERY CONDITION IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE (FIRST DEPT).

The Second Department determined defendant demonstrated the absence of actual or constructive notice of the allegedly slippery condition on the staircase in this slip and fall case:

Defendant established its entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by establishing that it did not have actual or constructive notice of the urine on the staircase that allegedly caused plaintiff to fall. Defendant submitted, inter alia, the affidavit of its caretaker, who averred that it was his practice to inspect the staircase at issue twice each day, in the morning and at around 3:30 p.m., and to mop up any urine or other wet or slippery condition that he observed. He also stated that it was his practice to complete a checklist with regard to his morning inspection, and he attached and identified a copy of the checklist that he had completed as to the morning inspection on July 2, 2012, the day before plaintiff’s fall. In addition, he specifically stated that no one had complained to him about urine in a stairwell between his afternoon inspection on July 2 and the time his shift ended… .

Plaintiff’s opposition failed to raise a triable issue of fact. The evidence she submitted failed to demonstrate a recurring dangerous condition routinely left unaddressed by defendant, as opposed to a mere general awareness of such a condition, for which defendant is not liable … . Canteen v New York City Hous. Auth., 2018 NY Slip Op 05733, First Dept 8-9-18

NEGLIGENCE (SLIP AND FALL, DEFENDANT DEMONSTRATED THE ABSENCE OF ACTUAL OR CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE OF THE ALLEGEDLY SLIPPERY CONDITION IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE (FIRST DEPT))/SLIP AND FALL (NOTICE, DEFENDANT DEMONSTRATED THE ABSENCE OF ACTUAL OR CONSTRUCTIVE NOTICE OF THE ALLEGEDLY SLIPPERY CONDITION IN THIS SLIP AND FALL CASE (FIRST DEPT))

, ,

NEGLIGENT MAINTENANCE OF THE PLAYGROUND CAUSE OF ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TESTING MATERIAL AND CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION STANDARDS DO NOT RAISE A QUESTION OF FACT ABOUT NEGLIGENCE (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined the negligent training a supervision cause of action against the school district was properly dismissed and the negligent maintenance of the premises cause of action should have been dismissed. Infant plaintiff fell from an apparatus on the school playground during recess:

The defendant also established its prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law dismissing so much of the complaint as alleged negligent maintenance of its premises by submitting evidence which demonstrated that it adequately maintained the playground and that it did not create an unsafe or defective condition … . In opposition, the plaintiff’s expert opined, in part, that the ground cover beneath the apparatus from which the plaintiff fell was inherently dangerous as installed and/or maintained, because it did not meet American Society of Testing Material standards or standards established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. These standards, however, are guidelines and not mandatory, and are insufficient to raise a triable issue of fact regarding negligent installation or maintenance … . Boland v North Bellmore Union Free Sch. Dist., 2018 NY Slip Op 05663, Second Dept 8-8-18

NEGLIGENCE (NEGLIGENT MAINTENANCE OF THE PLAYGROUND CAUSE OF ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TESTING MATERIAL AND CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION STANDARDS DO NOT RAISE A QUESTION OF FACT (SECOND DEPT))/EDUCATION-SCHOOL LAW (NEGLIGENT MAINTENANCE OF THE PLAYGROUND CAUSE OF ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TESTING MATERIAL AND CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION STANDARDS DO NOT RAISE A QUESTION OF FACT (SECOND DEPT))/EVIDENCE (NEGLIGENT MAINTENANCE OF THE PLAYGROUND CAUSE OF ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TESTING MATERIAL AND CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION STANDARDS DO NOT RAISE A QUESTION OF FACT (SECOND DEPT))/AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TESTING MATERIAL STANDARDS (NEGLIGENT MAINTENANCE OF THE PLAYGROUND CAUSE OF ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TESTING MATERIAL AND CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION STANDARDS DO NOT RAISE A QUESTION OF FACT (SECOND DEPT))/CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION STANDARDS (NEGLIGENT MAINTENANCE OF THE PLAYGROUND CAUSE OF ACTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TESTING MATERIAL AND CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION STANDARDS DO NOT RAISE A QUESTION OF FACT (SECOND DEPT))

INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INJURY JURY INSTRUCTION DID NOT AFFECT THE VERDICT, NO DUTY TO MITIGATE DAMAGES BY LOSING WEIGHT, REQUEST FOR MITIGATION OF DAMAGES JURY INSTRUCTION PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT).

he Second Department, in affirming a $1.8 million verdict in this car accident case, determined that the increased susceptibility to injury jury instruction did not affect the verdict so it didn’t discuss the propriety of the instruction. The Second Department also determined that defendants were not entitled to a duty to mitigate instruction based upon plaintiff’s failure to lose weight:

The defendants contend that the instructions on increased susceptibility prejudiced them because, based upon those instructions, the jury could find that the plaintiff’s apparent predisposition to obesity rendered him more susceptible to pain and suffering from his injuries. Increased susceptibility to injury “must be affirmatively pleaded and proven before recovery therefor can be allowed” …  In this case, the plaintiff alleged that the accident aggravated a preexisting back injury, indicating an increased susceptibility to an aggravated back injury.

The increased susceptibility instruction given by the Supreme Court did not refer to any condition. The pattern jury instruction for aggravation of a preexisting injury provides that “the plaintiff is entitled to recover for any (increased) disability or pain resulting from” the aggravation of a preexisting injury or condition where the aggravation was caused by the accident (PJI 2:282). This charge is somewhat similar to the increased susceptibility charge, which instructs the jury that “[t]he fact that the plaintiff may have a physical or mental condition that makes [him or her] more susceptible to injury than a normal healthy person does not relieve the defendant[s] of liability for all injuries sustained as a result of [their] negligence” (PJI 2:283). On the issue of aggravation of the preexisting back condition, the jury found in favor of the defendants, and therefore did not award any damages based upon an increased susceptibility to an aggravated back injury. Thus, under the circumstances of this case, the jury instructions did not affect the verdict.

We … agree with the Supreme Court’s determination to decline to instruct the jury with respect to the plaintiff’s duty to mitigate damages by losing weight. “A party seeking to avail itself of the affirmative defense of failure to mitigate damages must establish that the injured party failed to make diligent efforts to mitigate its damages, and the extent to which such efforts would have diminished those damages” … . The defendants failed to meet that burden. The plaintiff’s expert orthopedic surgeon testified that the plaintiff’s decision whether to have bariatric surgery to facilitate weight loss was “a personal decision.” The plaintiff’s expert further testified that the plaintiff’s obesity did not change the need for knee and hip replacements, as “the dye [sic] was cast the minute that this injury occurred.” The trial evidence established that the plaintiff complied with medical directives for physical therapy in an effort to mitigate damages, and there was no evidence presented that his damages would have been less if he had more actively participated in physical therapy. People v Kolsky, 2018 NY Slip Op 05713, Second Dept 8-8-18  [Note that the name of this case probably should be Rivera v Kolsky. “People” v Kolsky is how the case was (mis)named when the decision was first released.]

NEGLIGENCE (INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INJURY JURY INSTRUCTION DID NOT AFFECT THE VERDICT, NO DUTY TO MITIGATE DAMAGES BY LOSING WEIGHT, REQUEST FOR MITIGATION OF DAMAGES JURY INSTRUCTION PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/JURY INSTRUCTIONS (DAMAGES, INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INJURY JURY INSTRUCTION DID NOT AFFECT THE VERDICT, NO DUTY TO MITIGATE DAMAGES BY LOSING WEIGHT, REQUEST FOR MITIGATION OF DAMAGES JURY INSTRUCTION PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/DAMAGES (NEGLIGENCE, (INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INJURY JURY INSTRUCTION DID NOT AFFECT THE VERDICT, NO DUTY TO MITIGATE DAMAGES BY LOSING WEIGHT, REQUEST FOR MITIGATION OF DAMAGES JURY INSTRUCTION PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS (DAMAGES, INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INJURY JURY INSTRUCTION DID NOT AFFECT THE VERDICT, NO DUTY TO MITIGATE DAMAGES BY LOSING WEIGHT, REQUEST FOR MITIGATION OF DAMAGES JURY INSTRUCTION PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))

, , , ,

CITY WAS IMMUNE FROM SUIT BASED UPON THE HANDLING OF A DECEASED PERSON DURING HURRICANE SANDY AND NO SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WAS DEMONSTRATED WITH THE CITY (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department determined the city was immune from suit stemming from alleged interference with the right of sepulcher during Hurricane Sandy, which flooded the Bellevue Hospital morgue. The court further determined there was no special relationship between plaintiff and the city:

Contrary to plaintiffs’ argument, the right of sepulcher does not, by definition, trump governmental immunity … acted in its governmental capacity at all relevant times… . The specific act from which plaintiffs’ claims arise is the City’s treatment of the decedent’s body in the context of Hurricane Sandy, i.e., as the hurricane approached, once it had struck, and in its aftermath. Plaintiffs seek to ignore or minimize the significance of that context. However, their claims directly implicate the City’s emergency preparations and the decisions it made during and immediately after the unprecedented hurricane, which caused, among other things, unprecedented flooding in the Bellevue Hospital morgue — all quintessential governmental functions. Moreover, these preparations and decisions were discretionary, not ministerial … . Thus, the record demonstrates the elements of governmental function immunity from liability as a matter of law … .

Plaintiffs failed to establish the special relationship with the City required for holding the City liable for their injury … . In support of their contention that the City violated a statutory duty enacted for their benefit, they rely on statutes that do not contemplate private rights of action and, in any event, are not relevant to this case, which does not involve autopsy, dissection or unclaimed remains (see Public Health Law § 4215) or individuals fighting for control over the disposition of those remains … . Nor did plaintiffs establish that, in its treatment of the decedent’s body in the wake of Hurricane Sandy,the City voluntarily assumed a duty that generated their justifiable reliance … . Lee v City of New York, 2018 NY Slip Op 05626, First Dept 8-2-18

SEPULCHER (CITY WAS IMMUNE FROM SUIT BASED UPON THE HANDLING OF A DECEASED PERSON DURING HURRICANE SANDY AND NO SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WAS DEMONSTRATED WITH THE CITY (FIRST DEPT))/MUNICIPAL LAW (SEPULCHER, CITY WAS IMMUNE FROM SUIT BASED UPON THE HANDLING OF A DECEASED PERSON DURING HURRICANE SANDY AND NO SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WAS DEMONSTRATED WITH THE CITY (FIRST DEPT))/NEGLIGENCE (SEPULCHER, CITY WAS IMMUNE FROM SUIT BASED UPON THE HANDLING OF A DECEASED PERSON DURING HURRICANE SANDY AND NO SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WAS DEMONSTRATED WITH THE CITY (FIRST DEPT))/NEGLIGENCE (SEPULCHER, CITY WAS IMMUNE FROM SUIT BASED UPON THE HANDLING OF A DECEASED PERSON DURING HURRICANE SANDY AND NO SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WAS DEMONSTRATED WITH THE CITY (FIRST DEPT))/IMMUNITY (MUNICIPAL LAW, SEPULCHER, CITY WAS IMMUNE FROM SUIT BASED UPON THE HANDLING OF A DECEASED PERSON DURING HURRICANE SANDY AND NO SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WAS DEMONSTRATED WITH THE CITY (FIRST DEPT))

,

RES IPSA LOQUITUR DOCTRINE NOT SHOWN TO BE APPLICABLE, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACTION PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, affirming the grant of summary judgment to the defendants in this medical malpractice action, explained the criteria for the applicability of the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur in this context:

In opposition to the defendants’ motion, the plaintiff relied on the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur. To rely on that doctrine, a plaintiff must show that “(1) the event is of the kind that ordinarily does not occur in the absence of someone’s negligence; (2) the instrumentality that caused the injury is within the defendants’ exclusive control; and (3) the injury is not the result of any voluntary action by the plaintiff” … . A plaintiff “need not conclusively eliminate the possibility of all other causes of the injury” … . A plaintiff must only show that the likelihood of other possible causes of the injury is so reduced ” that the greater probability lies at defendant’s door'” … .

Here, the redacted and unsigned affirmation of the plaintiff’s medical expert was not entitled to consideration … and, in any event, was insufficient to raise a triable issue of fact. The plaintiff failed to raise a triable issue of fact regarding the applicability of the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur, as she did not demonstrate that the injury is of a kind that ordinarily does not occur in the absence of negligence or that the instrumentality that caused her injury was within the defendants’ exclusive control … . Pagano v Cohen, 2018 NY Slip Op 05599, Second Dept 8-1-18

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE (RES IPSA LOQUITUR DOCTRINE NOT SHOWN TO BE APPLICABLE, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACTION PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/NEGLIGENCE (MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, RES IPSA LOQUITUR DOCTRINE NOT SHOWN TO BE APPLICABLE, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACTION PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))/RES IPSA LOQUITUR (MEDICAL MALPRACTICE, RES IPSA LOQUITUR DOCTRINE NOT SHOWN TO BE APPLICABLE, DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACTION PROPERLY GRANTED (SECOND DEPT))

,

POLICE REPORT DID NOT NOTIFY TOWN OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS OF A CLAIM STEMMING FROM A COLLISION WITH A TOWN SNOW PLOW, PETITION FOR LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department determined that a police report was not sufficient to timely notify the town of the essential facts of potential lawsuit stemming from a collision between petitioner’s vehicle and a town snow plow. The petition for leave to file a late notice of claim was properly denied:

… [T]he petitioner failed to demonstrate that the Village obtained timely, actual knowledge of the essential facts constituting the claim. The late notice of claim served upon the Village approximately three months after the 90-day statutory period had elapsed did not provide the Village with actual knowledge of the essential facts constituting the claim within a reasonable time after the expiration of the statutory period … . Furthermore, the police accident report alone, without any evidence of further investigation by the Village, cannot be considered actual knowledge of the essential facts underlying the claim against the Village … . Matter of Vega v Incorporated Vil. of Freeport, 2018 NY Slip Op 05598, Second Dept 8-1-18

MUNICIPAL LAW (NEGLIGENCE, NOTICE OF CLAIM, POLICE REPORT DID NOT NOTIFY TOWN OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS OF A CLAIM STEMMING FROM A COLLISION WITH A TOWN SNOW PLOW, PETITION FOR LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/NEGLIGENCE (MUNICIPAL LAW, NOTICE OF CLAIM, POLICE REPORT DID NOT NOTIFY TOWN OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS OF A CLAIM STEMMING FROM A COLLISION WITH A TOWN SNOW PLOW, PETITION FOR LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/NOTICE OF CLAIM (MUNICIPAL LAW, NEGLIGENCE, OLICE REPORT DID NOT NOTIFY TOWN OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS OF A CLAIM STEMMING FROM A COLLISION WITH A TOWN SNOW PLOW, PETITION FOR LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS (MUNICIPAL LAW, NOTICE OF CLAIM, POLICE REPORT DID NOT NOTIFY TOWN OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS OF A CLAIM STEMMING FROM A COLLISION WITH A TOWN SNOW PLOW, PETITION FOR LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))/POLICE REPORTS (NEGLIGENCE, NOTICE OF CLAIM, POLICE REPORT DID NOT NOTIFY TOWN OF THE ESSENTIAL FACTS OF A CLAIM STEMMING FROM A COLLISION WITH A TOWN SNOW PLOW, PETITION FOR LEAVE TO FILE A LATE NOTICE OF CLAIM PROPERLY DENIED (SECOND DEPT))

Categories

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2026 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy